The Chosen One
by xNik Nakx
Summary: Cho Chang, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are best friends. But as fifth year rolls around, Harry finds himself growing close to Hermione Granger, Ravenclaw. As this happens, Ron and Cho find themselves with noone but eachother. AU & OoC! R&R! DISCONTINUED
1. New Year, New Friend

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the characters, But the plot is all mine evil laugh **

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**Chapter 1: New Year, New Friend**

Harry and Sirius had just arrived at Platform 9 and 3/4. Sirius was pushing Harry's trolley, his brown hair blowing lightly in the wind. Harry's jet black locks, as usual stuck up in all directions. They had just one through the barrier, and Harry heard someone screaming his name excitedly. his emerald eyes surveyed the platform, and before he could find where the voice was coming from, he found himself blinded by a blanket of long, straight perfect black hair. One of his best friends, Cho Chang, was hugging him, and he couldn't see anything.

"Oh, Harry! I missed you!" she exclaimed, and Sirius was attempting to keep a straight face, which made Harry blush

"You too, Cho, it's good to see you again" Harry said, and as she withdrew from his arms, he looked her up and down. her deep, warm dark eyes were glittering in the sunlight, and her cheeks were glowing red, with excitement. She was wearing a light pink singlet top, that showed her dark skinned arms, liberous amounts of chest, and some of her stomach. she was also in a light blue pair of super skinny jeans, that looked great on her and pink Vans skate shoes. She'd grown about an inch and a half over the summer, and her chest had certainly fulled out a bit, but he tried not to linger on that part of her body.

"You look great Cho" he said, and it was her turn to blush.

"You too Harry" she grinned back at him, showing him her perfect, straight white teeth. He'd also grown over the summer, which was lucky, he was still taller than Cho. He'd gotten some new muggle clothes to wear under his robes, and at the present he was in loose black jeans, black Converse Chuck Taylor shoes and a black and white striped shirt over a white t-shirt. Cho couldn't help but think of him as handsome, and she held his hand tightly while Sirius put Harry's trunk into the compartment Cho had picked out.

"We have to go to the prefect carriage first anyway" Cho reminded him. Harry and Cho had both been picked for Gryffindor 5th year prefects, much to the dismay of Ron, whom received days of silence from his mother when the badge hadn't arrived. Ron was sitting in the compartment, and Harry and Ron shook hands. Ron had also grown, about three inches, and his freckly face was solemn. His sister, Ginny, was sitting across from him.

"Oh, Heya Harry!" said Ginny, very enthusiastically. She was gorgeous, and very popular, in fact currently she was going out with Micheal Corner, whom she had meet at the Yule Ball the previous year, not that anyone else in the compartment knew.

"Hey Ginny, How was your summer?" Harry asked, smiling at her.

"Oh, you know, the usual. This is Luna, Luna Lovegood" she introduced Harry to the blonde haired girl next to her. She had the essence of insanity, her ears were peirced, and the earrings closely resembled carrots. Harry nodded politely, and Cho just gave her the 'OMFG what a loser' look, that Cho had certainly perfected.

"Hey Harry! Mind if I share your compartment?" Neville Longbottom asked from behind him. Neville was round and jolly, and had a big smile on his face.

"Sure Neville, But me and Cho have to go to the prefect carriage as soon the train starts to leave" Harry replied, he rather liked Neville, but Cho thought he was fat, which didn't surprise him, Cho was quite narrow-minded, but had known each other nearly all of their lives, and were gradually drawn together.

"Harry!!" Sirius yelled through the compartment door, he was out on the platform, waiting to say goodbye to Harry.

"Oh, yeah. Well, you'll be heading off then" Harry said, looking at his shoes. Sometimes he felt uncomfortable around his godfather, whom he had gone to live with through the summer, as Dumbledore had finally let him leave the Dursleys. Sirius was a convicted murderer, but had managed to catch Peter Pettigrew, the real murderer, 2 years ago, and Sirius' name was cleared. Sirius grinned at Harry, and then, on a total whim, and to the utter surprise of the two of them, Sirius pulled Harry into a loose, manly, fatherly hug.

"I'm going to miss having you around mate" Sirius said, and he roughly kissed the boy in his hair, and Harry felt tears in his eyes, but was determined not to let them out. he had never, ever been kissed by someone in a fatherly way and Harry felt loved.

"Can I come for Christmas?" Harry asked, He had been invited to the Burrow for Christmas, but Cho was going to her parents' place, and all of them were going to the Burrow for Christmas dinner. "I'm sure Mrs Weasley wouldn't mind if we only went for Christmas Dinner" Harry said reassuringly, and Mrs Weasley, who had been politely eavesdropping, came over to the two men

"Sure, in fact, it's an order. have a nice term Harry," she pulled him into a bonecrushing hug, and kissed him. the stationmaster was starting to close the doors.

"See you at Christmas" Mrs Weasley was yelling into the compartment, and everyone had come to the window to wave. Harry jumped on, and slammed shut the door, Sirius was waving sadly at him, and Harry waved back. Sirius then disapparated.

"Harry, let's go" Cho tugged his arm, and the two of them headed to the prefect carriage."That Luna girls a bit of a weird one" she stated, and she giggled.

"Yea, well, she's friends with Ginny, so we can't exactly tell her to piss off." Harry looked down at her as he said this to her. _Wow, I can see right down her t-- STOP! she's your best friend! _Harry was thinking and he felt a warm glow on his cheeks, and hoped that Cho wouldn't see it.

The prefect carriage was a larger compartment, and the seats were nice, comfortable and inviting. The Ravenclaw Prefects were sitting on one side, and the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were on the other side. Draco Malfoy was sitting next to the window, and he was glaring at Harry, who raised his eyebrows at Cho, who was doing the same thing to him. The hufflepuff's looked less than pleased with the seating arrangements. Harry sat down next to the Ravenclaw girl prefect.

"Hi Harry. I'm Hermione, Hermione Granger" She introduced herself, smiling at him, to reveal neat white teeth. She had brown hair, that was slightly bushy, but was very pretty, and the warmest, chocolate brown eyes he had ever seen. she was in modest clothing, a pair of black jeans that were loosish, and a neat lilac t-shirt, but he could still slightly notice her prominent chest.

"Hey. I know you, your in my Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration classes, you're the clever one" he said, and ginned back, and her smiled had faltered for a second when he had said clever. he noticed, and leaned in and whispered "And, you're pretty too" and she blushed. Harry had often had this effect on people. Cho had always shown him a good way to flirt, and he found that when he flirted with girls, they'd blush twice as much as what they did with any other guy, but he just guessed it was the whole _boy-who-lived _thing.

"Okay. Quiet please!" The Head Boy and Girl had just entered. He didn't recognise either of them, but they introduced themselves

"I'm Gary Flint, I'm in Ravenclaw, and I'm your Head Boy this year." He smiled warmly at the group. The other person, teh girl, was glaring at everyone, and she stepped forward.

"I'm Kitty Blaise, I'm in Slytherin, and for those are too dumb to realise, I'm Head Girl." she said, her eyes sweeping the room, and resting on Harry, and her stare was sending daggers at him.

"Welcome, You are the new Prefects. You are the people who lead the first years to your common room, and the password for your house's dormitory will appear on the blank bit of Parchment you will be given by Kitty as soon as you touch it. The prefect bathroom is now on the fourth floor, and the password is _unity_. you will be required to patrol corridors, and the next bit of parchment will have a patrol roster on it, and if you are not available on the night chosen for you, you are to find a night to swap, which you must sort out yourself. You can distribute detentions, but not administer House Points. Well, any more questions, Kitty and I will be remaining in here most of the journey, occasionally patrolling the train corridor. You may Leave" and with a last fleeting Smile, Gary finished his sermon and moved out of the way of the door to let people out. Hermione, Harry and Cho were the last to remain, and they filed out of the compartment. Hermione smiled at Cho, who merely nodded, and Harry grinned at her, and their eyes met for a second, and Hermione looked away.

"Well, I'll see you around Harry" she said, smiled once more, and hurried into the crowd, and disappeared into a compartment by herself. Cho was tugging his arm, as if to hurry him along.

"You go, I'll catch up in a sec." Harry said distractedly, and Cho hurried off impatiently, barely even giving him a second look. Harry, on the other turned to Hermione's compartment and opened the door. "Knock Knock" he said, and she dropped her book in surprise, and looked up at him.

"Hey Harry" she said quietly, she wished she had other people in here, she looked like such a loser.

"Hey, you look pretty lonely, want to come down to my compartment?" he asked her, trying not to embarass her.

"Nah, it's all good, your friend Cho doesn't seem to like me" she said, and couldn't help but fell embarassed. No-one really liked her, but Harry, well Harry was something else.

"Who cares? it's not her compartment, and I happen to like you, so I'm telling you to come. I won't take no for an answer" he said, looking at her teasingly, but he was entirely serious, and a flush covered her cheeks.

"Okay." she said simply, and put her book in her trunk. She followed him down the corridor, and many people stopped and pointed at her, giglling and whispering behind their hands. it was a bit congested through the corridor, so Harry grabbed her hand

"Wouldn't want to lose you" he said, grinning, and pushing his way through the mass of people, tugging Hermione after him. She was on cloud nine _He's holding my hand! _she thought excitedly, and when they emerged through the other side of the crowd, Harry's grip on her hand didn't falter.

Hey Guys" said Harry, opening a compartment door, and letting her go through first. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Hermione Granger, I invited her to hang with us" Harry told his friends, and they all looked up at Hermione, and then, realising how plain she was, they all looked down. Hermione's smiled turned to a frown _even they don't like me_ she saw a tall ginger haired boy, a girl with hair of the same colour, a boy, who she already knew as Neville, and Luna Lovegood, whom she had never really liked, as she was a bit dazed. Cho was glaring at her, which didn't surprise her. Harry sat next to Ron. He noticed the uncomfortable silence stretching between Hermione and Cho.

"Ron, would you mind sitting next to Cho? I'd like to sit next to Hermione" Harry asked the boy next to him. Ron nodded gruffly, and threw himself into the seat next to Cho, and they started talking abotu Quidditch. Once Hermione had sat down, he rolled his eyes at her.

The trip went companionably. Hermione found herself, for the first time, enjoying the train ride. previous years she was often teased, and people even threw dungbombs in her compartment, or ambushed her, attempting to jinx her. Hermione really liked Harry. Neville was really nice to her too, as was Ron and Ginny. Luna spent the whole time reading _The Quibbler_ and Cho would avoid conversation with Hermione as much as possible.

"So who're the new prefects?" Ron asked, with mild interest.

"Malfoy and that ugly Parkinson girl who looks like a mutt for Slytherin" started Cho.

"And Hannah Abott and Ernie Macmillian for Hufflepuff" continued Harry

"Me and Micheal Corner for Ravenclaw" finished Hermione

"Who's Micheal Corner?" said Neville, looking confused

"He's the tall dark-haired guy in Ravenclaw, Chaser on the Quidditch team" said Ginny, and everyone looked at her.

"How'd you know?" Ron asked arrogantly

"Ron, don't be a pratt. I know because I pay attention" said Ginny, going bright red.

"Well, That's OK, I thought she was going to say she knew becuase they were going out or something" said Ron, relaxing back into his seat, and Ginny muffled her giggles

"So, What do your parents do?" Ron asked her conversationally, and Hermione looked nervous.

"They're... They're Dentists." She said, lowering her voice.

"So they're muggles?" asked Cho, sounding quite bitchy, and Hermione winced. Harry threw a glare at Cho, who threw one back. Hermione meerly nodded.

"Better than having dead parents." Harry said defensively, and Cho looked away. no-one could meet Harry's eyes

"My dad's obsessed with muggles, it's quite a laugh really. he bewitched a car in our second year, I guess you heard about that?" Ron said, cutting through the silince Harry had made. Hermione nodded again, and Harry and Ron laughed.

"You were petrified in second year weren't you?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Hermione said, her voice barely audible. It was growing dark now.

"I'm going to go change into my robes now, I'll see you around, Harry. See you's" she said. and went to stand up

"We'll go with you, we need to change too." Ginny said, and her and Luna got their robes out of their trunks "And then you can come back with us" Ginny said, and the three of them disappeared.

"What a weird one" Cho whispered, as soon as the compartment door had closed.

"I like her" said Harry and Ron in one voice, and Cho meerly shrugged.

"I'm going to go get changed in Lavender and Parvati's compartment, I might stay for a while, I'll see you's later." she left as quickly as possible. Harry, Ron and Neville got changed, and were sitting back down, and Ron was fingering his way through Luna's magazine.

"Some of this stuff is actually quite interesting" he said, completely serious.

"Why, thank you Ronald" said Luna, and announced the three girls arrival. Hermione resumed her old seat next to Harry, and they shared a quick glance.

"Where did Cho go?" Ginny asked, and looked at Harry for the answer. Ron was other preoccupied reading _The Quibbler_ and Luna was looking over his shoulder, telling him about all sorts of things in there.

"To see Parvati and Lavender" Harry replied. Hermione let out her breath.

"God, She's such a bitch to Hermione" Ginny said, and giggled.

"Yeah, she can be sometimes, but she's okay once she gets to know you, Hermione" Harry was speaking more to Hermione than Ginny, but both of them nodded.

"Oh well." Ron concluded, and he passed the magazine back to Luna. She grinned at him, and put the magazine in her trunk. The train was slowing. people were squeezing into the corridor, ready to get off.

"Try and stick together guys" Harry said, and he opened the door. Hermione was behind him, and he grabbed her hand again. "You can't lose me that easy" he grinned at her, and dove into the crowd. Ron had seen Harry and the Ravenclaw girl (he couldn't remember her name) and after grabbing Ginny by her robe sleeve, he followed them. Harry and Hermione had found a carriage, and after helping Hermione in, Harry stood outside it looking for Ron, Ginny, Luna and Cho. Cho walked past with Lavender, and dispersed herself from their group to join Harry. She clambered into the carriage, and sat opposite Hermione, and both of them purposely looked the other way. Ron and Ginny got in next to Cho, and Luna was just about to hop in and she sat opposite Ginny, and Harry sat between Hermione and Luna. the door shut automatically. the carriages started up soon, and as they slowly bumped up the narrow path to the school, Hermione felt her leg rubbing againgst Harry's and tried not to blush, by focusing out the window. Harry, on the other hand, was watching Hermione with interest._I wonder if she's realised how hot this is making me feel_. and then, noticing that he felt a numbness in between his leg, he quickly also tried to focus on something else, which prevented anything from going any higher. They went through the school gate, and Hermione and Harry both looked wistfully up at the castle.

"This was like home to me, but now I'm not living with the Dursley's" Harry told her, and Hermione nodded.

"Who are you living with now?" she asked, turning away from the castle to look at him

"My Godfather, Sirius Black" he said and she muttered a little squeak

"But wasn't he a murderer?" She replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Yea, but he was innocent. he caught Peter Pettigrew, who was an unregistered animagus, as "Scabbers" Ron's rat, and it turned out that Peter had been sold my parents out to Voldemort" as Harry said this, everyone shuddered at the name.

"I heard that Dumbledore told Vampires where your parents were, and that the Vampires sold them out to You-Know-Who" Luna said, snapping out of her trance, and her prominent eyes were bulging excitedly, and Harry and Hermione slightly raised their eyebrows at each other

"Thats the biggest pile of bull-shit I've ever heard!" Cho exclaimed, and dispersed into giggles.

"Just because you live in a narrow-minded society, doesn't mean everything has to be shoved under your nose to be true!" Luna said, glaring at Cho, showing a deep dislike for the giggling girl. The Carriages had just stopped, and the doors magically opened. Luna flounced out, and without even saying goodbye to Ginny, disappeared into the crowd squeezing into the Entrance Hall.

"Let's go" Ron said, and everyone started to hop out of the carriage.

"Well, I'll see you around Harry" said Hermione, and only Harry heard her.

"Yeah, I'll look forward to it" Harry smiled warmly at her, and she returned it, and she turned into the crowd.

"Quite a plain one that girl" Ron remarked.

"that girl has a name. Hermione" Harry defended her. Ron noticed how his eyes lit up when Harry said 'Hermione' but he shrugged it off, he was starving.

After the uneventful sorting, in which 15 people became Gryffindors, 8 girls and 7 boys. all of varied shortness and immaturity.

"Cho" Harry said, looking at his best friend.

"Yeah?" Cho said, continuing eating.

"Look at me" he said forcably. She looked up at him and meet his emerald eyes. "I know that you don't like Hermione" and she nodded, her face going dark "But I do, she's nice. But it doesn't mean that I like you any less. Your my best friend!" he said, and she nodded again, unable to find any words. she hugged him, and then with a small smile, she returned to her dinner. Harry, prodding his Steak and Kidney pie, when he realised that he could see Hermione from where he was. She was twirling her pasta around her fork, looking thoughtful, as well as extremely lonely. She must have felt eyes on her, becuase she looked up, and saw him looking at her. she grinned, and Harry returned the grin with extra enthusiasm. _She's really pretty!_ he thought, and then she looked away, and he saw her smile vanish. he looked back down at his pie, to see nothing there, and that he was stabbing thin air. Desserts had appeared. after Treacle tart, and the usual notices from Dumbledore, including the fact that a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher hadn't been found, and for 2 weeks, D.A.D.A would be replaced by free periods. people started standing up.

"Harry! we've got to show the first years where to go!" Cho tugged his sleeve, and then Harry, grinning broadly yelled

"First Years! First Years this way!" and many Gryffindor first years looked towards him.

"Ron, the passwords _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_" Harry told Ron, and Ron disappeared to tell more people the password. Looking through the crowd, he could see Hermione leading the first years by herself, and Micheal was a bit further ahead, walking with Ginny.

"Hey Cho, look at Micheal and Ginny" Harry said, nudging Cho

"So?" she said, looking amused

"What do you know that I don't?" Harry asked, pretending to look annoyed.

"That theres 15 first years getting impatient behind us" Cho said, and as they both turned around, she poked her tongue out at Harry.

"Now, Heya, Im Cho Chang, and this is Harry Potter, and we're your fifth year prefects. We're going to take you up to the common room." Cho told the group of nervous first years, and they all looked at Harry, awestruck. they reached the Fat Lady's portrait. "This, is the Fat Lady. She gaurds the Gryffindor Tower. you need to tell her the password before you can enter. the password is _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ The fat Lady changes the password every month or so, and the new password will be displayed on the notice board in the Common Room." Cho told the group. The Fat Lady's Portrait had opened by now, and Cho and Harry stood aside to let the first years get in. The prefects followed.

"Boy's dormitory up the left staircase, girls dormitory up the right." Harry concluded, and the first years scuttled up the steps excitedly.

"I'll see you tomorrow Cho" Harry said

"Night Harry" Cho replied and they went their separate ways.

**A/N:** Thats the first Chapter!! please reveiw! If No-one likes it, I'm going to get rid of it, so reveiw!


	2. Only She Could Make Bookworms Hot

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns the characters, But the plot is all mine evil laugh **

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**Chapter 2: Only She Could Make Bookworms Hot**

The next day brung the first day of classes. At breakfast, Professor McGonagall handed out the timetables, and he saw that they had Charms first, with the Ravenclaws.

"Hey, that Hermione chick will be in our class again" Cho said unenthusiastically, politely nibbling at her toast.

"Hmmmm" Harry said. this was all Harry could manage at that moment, his mouth was full of bacon and eggs. Ron had so much scrambled egg in his mouth he couldn't even manage a sound. Cho rolled her eyes at the twosome

"You are, like, sooooo, gross" she said, and she deliberately looked the other way.

"That's why you love us" Harry said after he had finished his mouthful, and he tickled her. She giggled, and tried to wiggle out of his reach.

"Nope, come here you" Harry said, whispering in her ear and pulling her close. she hugged him gently, and he let her go.

"You Wish! That's like saying that that Hermione chick likes you for your personality" Cho said, laughing. Harry said nothing, put stood up, put his bag over his shoulder, and walking away without a word. All he heard as he walked away was Ron

"I think you went to far, Cho" he said. Harry walked out of the Great Hall, and towards the Charms classroom. When he arrived, he saw that he wasn't the only earlybird.

"Why, Hello, Miss Granger" He said, and she looked up from her book expecting a teacher, but it was Harry.

"Hi Harry!" she said excitedly, grinning. "Why aren't you with Cho and Ron?" she asked, looking around him to see if there was anyone else.

"Well, It's quite a story" he said, leaning against the wall.

"Well sit down and tell me about it." She said, closing her book and placing it in her bag.

"Okay, When we were looking at our timetables, Cho said that you were in our Charms class, and Ron and I were stuffing our faces with food" Hermione rolled her eyes as he said this, and he prodded her arm and continued "and then I told Cho that that che loved us becasue we were pigs. She said, quote: _You wish, thats like saying that Hermione likes you for your personality_" As Harry concluded, Hermione's smile fell off her face, and naturally, her eyes filled with tears.

"'Mione" he said, and put his arm loosely around her shoulders.

"What did you call me?" She said, wiping her tears with a little white handkercheif she conjured up.

"'Mione, silly" he said, elbowing her lightly

"No-ones called me that before. I guess, it's because I've never really had a friend like you Harry" She said, looking at her knees and blushing ever so lightly.

"Yeah, well those people were stupid, not to realise the personality, and the amazing girl behind the book" Harry said, standing up, he could hear people walking around on the floor around him, and he pulled her up. She wiped more tears away, and he pulled her close to him.

"One of the positives of being friends with an over-emotional girl is that you get used to these situations." he whispered in her delicte ear, and she hiccoughed.

"What's going on?" Cho was yelling down the corridor.

"Nothing, Hermione was simply a bit upset." Harry replied, stepping forward.

"Harry, I'm Sorry, I just don't want you to get hurt." Cho said, throwing herself into Harry's arms.

"It's Okay, Cho" he said, hugging her back. Cho was sobbing into his shoulder, and he rolled his eyes at Hermione, who stiffled her giggles as coughs. The rest of the class had arrived by now, and no-one really took any notice of Cho. Every knew she was a bit of a drama queen. When Professor Flitwick opened the doors, Harry and Hermione were the first to enter the classroom. Harry followed Hermione, ignoring the aggitated whispers from Cho.

"Is this seat taken?" Harry asked Hermione, indicating to the seat right next to her. Hermione shook her bushy head, and her hair lightly tossed around her head. _God, She looks gorgeous!_ once he had sat down, he casually glanced around the classroom, his usual seat was taken by Ron, and Cho was in a big rant to him, glaring as she spoke. Harry slowly pushed his chair over just a little bit closer to Hermione's chair.

"I'm not that good at Charms, so if you lose some of your beautiful hair, I'll pay for the replacement" he warned her, grinning at Hermione, who after she realised it to be a joke, giggled slightly, and smiled.

The class had to practise their Summoning Charms, which Harry had had no previous experience at.

"Okay, Harry, you need to visualise the object coming to your hand. concerntrate hard on the object." Hermione instructed, and Harry grinned.

"_Accio quill_" he said loudly, and the quill shook a little bit, but didn't move.

"Focus, Harry, you can do it!" Hermione coaxed him

"It'd be easy if there wasn't a gorgeous girl next to me, its a tiny bit of a distraction" Harry was flirting with her, grinning as he watched the quill. She didn't really see that he was flirting with her, but she still blushed.

"Your not next to Cho today Harry" Hermione replied, and she held his wrist. "It's more of a swishing movement" she commented, swishing his wrist.

"I know that I'm not, Hermione" he said, and he practised his swishing. "_Accio Quill_" he exclaimed, and the quill picked itself up, and flew into his hand.

"Nice one Harry!" she said excitedly.

"You're more excited than me 'Mione" he said, and he nudged her. "Does it work on people?" He asked interestedly _Wouldn't mind summoning her to me on a lonely night _he thought, looking her up and down.

"Yeah, I guess, I don't really know. Would you like to try summoning someone in the classroom?" She said, looking mildly amused. _Who will he summon? _she thought, watching him intently. Harry got up, and moved along a couple of seats, until there was a nice clear space between the two. _Oh No! _she thought horridly.

"_Accio Hermione!_" he shouted, and most of the class had stopped to watch. Hermione felt her body tingling, and she was lifted off the ground. she looked frightened as she flew the 3 or so metres to Harry. she landed on his knee, with his hand on her chest. they both blushed, and the class exchanged looks and got back to work. Harry moved his hand after what seemed like an eternity to the two of them, and Hermione looked into his emerald eyes.

"Cho's wrong, I do like you for your personality" she whispered, and she stood up. he followed her back to his original seat, and he looked around the room, and saw Cho glaring at him and Hermione.

"What's she glaring at?" Hermione said, slightly nudging her head in Cho's direction.

"Meh. Maybe she's falling for you 'Mione" he said, and the two of them laughed. Cho deliberately looked away, and Harry resolved to apologise after he had said goodbye to Hermione

"See ya 'Mione" He said, after he had finished collecting his things.

"Catch you later Harry" Hermione replied, grinning at him, and exiting the classroom quickly.

The final class of the day was Transfiguration. Harry sat with Cho and Ron, but he waved and smiled at Hermione as she entered the classroom. Professor McGonagall spent the first quarter of the class lecturing everyone on the importance of their upcoming O.W.Ls, which took place the following June. Harry gazed at Hermione, who was writing notes intently, and he also heard Parvati and Lavender giggling behind him, which irritated him. Professor McGonagall then got them started on conjuring water using a handing little spell,

"Well done Miss Granger, take a well earned twenty points for Ravenclaw" Professor McGonagall's voice rung out across the classroom, no longer than ten seconds after everyone had started. Hermione had managed to get water in her goblet on her first try. She was blushing, her ivory complexion glowing rosy. Harry had also managed to conjurer water half way through the period. He stood up, but managed to half crouch so McGonagall wouldn't notice him, he wandered through the rows of desks, and tapped Hermione's shoulder, before sitting in the vacant seat next to her.

"Hey" he said, and she looked at him

"If Professor McGonagall saw you she'd---" Hermione started

"What? give me a detention? I'd rather get to talk to you for a couple of minutes" He interupted, and making her blush again.

"So?" Hermione said, turning slightly to get a better look at him.

"What are you up to after this lesson?" Harry asked her interestedly.

"I'm going to the common room to get my Homework, then going to the library to do my homework" she said simply

"Why the library? Why not your common room?" he asked her, feigning interest.

"Becuase, well I only get insulted in the common room, by those pratts behind us" she said, nudging her head backwards, and seeing her hair bouncing made him want to stroke it.

"How could anyone insult my 'Mione?" Harry said thoughtfully, more to himself than to her.

"Return to your desk please Mr Potter" Professor McGonagall had spotted him sitting next to Hermione, the two of them chatting animatedly. so he stood up, smiled at his Transfiguration Professor, and returning to his spot next to Cho. There was still 15 minutes left in the lesson, so Harry leaned back on his chair and enveloped himself in his thoughts. _I should go and stuy with Hermione in the library. It could be fun. It would get me out of the common room anyway, Fred and George aren't exactly the best study conditions. Yeah, I think I'll do that. Hermione, she's great. Maybe I should ask her out. No! she can hardly speak to you without blushing, like Ginny used to in third year. hmm. I'd talk to Cho about that, but she doesn't really like Hermione. Ron, well he's completely tactless. Parvati and Lavender, well the whole school would know in about ten minutes after i asked them about it, they're such gossips. Fred and George, well they might be good with jokes, but not that great with girls. SIRIUS! he's like cassanova, flirting with all the witches in the Leaky Cauldron, or in Diagon Alley._ The period had just finished. Everyone had started packing up when Harry was bought back to earth. Hermione had already left. _Bugger_, he thought. Cho was especially chatty, she was pleased that Harry was in a good mood, and she had managed to conjure water towards the end of the period.

Dinner was a plaicd affair, everyone more consumed in their own thoughts, than in each other. even Ron kept his talking-with-his-mouth-full dinner tradition to a bare minimum. Cho spent most of dinner twirling spaghetti bolognaise. Harry saw with amusement, that at the Ravenclaw table, Hermione was doing the same thing with her spaghetti. resolving not to let Cho see, he immediatley attempted to distract Cho

"Hey Cho, do you reckon O.W.Ls are really going to be that dificult?" Harry said, and he accomplished his ai. her full attention was on him

"Nah, But there's things we can do without qualifications, like modelling" Cho said, smirking and flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"What's the chance of it working out though?" Harry said, and then regretted it

"Are you implying that I'm not pretty enough to be a model?" Cho shreiked, people sitting at the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables looked around to locate the shouting.

"No!" Harry said frustrated. Cho had turned the other way

"Just go Harry" she said firmly, her voice dropping to a mere whisper.

"Fine" he said, and stood up and stomped out of the Great Hall for the second time that day, and stormed up to the Gryffindor Tower.

"_Mimbulus Mimbletonia_" he said to the Fat Lady, and the portrait opened, letting Harry into the Tower. Harry threw himself into the armchair by the fire. Harry thought about going to see Hermione in the Library and writing a letter to Sirius, so he collected up parchment, quills, and ink in his bag, with a list of his current homework assignments in his backpack, fiddled with his hair, and used a handy spell to get the dust of his robes. he pretty much sprinted down the spiral staircase, and sat at his favourite table int he common room.

Dear Sirius

How's things going at Grimmauld Place? hope Kreacher's not getting you down! Hogwarts is great as usual, but things between me and Cho are a bit shaky, must be that time of month, but I don't want to know.

I met this girl, Hermione Granger, in the prefect carriage on the train. We're good friends now, and I really like her, in fact, we're going to study together in the library, excpet that it's a surprise on her part. I want to ask her to Hogsmeade but I have no idea how. I didn't know how to ask, Cho doesn't like Hermione, and Ron, well, you know how tactless he is, and I couldn't think of anyone else, but I know you're a bit of a cassanova, so I thought I'd ask you, so any advice on how to ask this girl out, reply

Love,

Harry

he signed his name, and ran out of the tower. He took the long way to the Library, to avoid Cho and Ron and take his letter to the owlery for hedwig. Hermione was already in the Library, her nose almost on the parchment, scratching away with her quill, a huge pile of text books in front of her.

"'Mione?" he said, sitting down next to her. she jumped, and ended up with ink on her nose.

"Hey Harry" she said, and watched him take out his things.

"You have ink, right there" Harry licked his finger, and rubbed the ink on her nose.

"Oh, right thanks" she said, and she smiled. Harry set up his parchment and ink, and went to find some books.

"Hey, 'Mione?" Harry called, from a shelf over, he reappeared a second later, with a book in his hand.

"Yeah?" She replied, looking up to see him.

"What are you up to this weekend?" he asked innocently.

"Um, well, I've got lot's of study to do, Harry" she said. _What's he suggesting?_ she thought,

"Oh, Okay, forget I asked" he said, and he settled down next to her, and opened a book. Harry sighed as he flicked a page in _A History of Magic_ and Hermione looked up at him, but he was concerntrating hard on the page of his textbook.

"'Mione?" Harry said queitly as he finished his History of Magic essay.

"Yeah?" Hermione replied, flicking through a book that Harry coudn't see the name of.

"Have you finished your homework?" he asked her, looking up into her eyes, as he jabbed his wand at the parchment. his name wrote itself on the parchment, and it rolled itself up.

"Yes" she said shortly, still completely engrossed in her book.

"Then, no offence, but why are you still here?" he said, and then realised how rude he sounded

"I wanted to hang out with you" she said, though it was barely audible even by Harry, who was right next to her.

"That's nice of you" he said, and sqeeuzed her hand. She blushed crimson, something that Harry had seen Hermione do numerous times.

"You look so cute when you blush" he said, in a miniscule voice, so that she barely heard, and he worked on the second half of his potions essay (he had done the first half in the common room that afternoon.

Soon, Harry, like Hermione had completed all of his homework.

"So, I guess you'll be off now" Hermione muttered, surveying her page.

"Not if you aren't" he said, grinning across the table. Hermione merely smiled, and looked up at him, and their eyes met, and they froze. Harry leaned forward, towards Hermione to grab a textbook

"well then, I suppose we should get comfortable" said Hermione, and her eyes left his, and they settled into their books.


	3. Teacher?

**Disclaimer::** **If I owned this, I'd be going to Fall Out Boy on October 1st, but I don't, so I'm not. tear.**

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OMG! thank you thank you for your reveiws! I love you all! After you've read this chapter why not pop along to my other fanfic and read that? I hope you's are all happy in the big wide world. (i've had sugar, can you guess!?) Fall Out Boy are coming to Auckland in a month and 10 days aproxamately, and my friends are so excited! (I'm not going, I can't afford it) Sorry for the slow update, school exams are in 2 weeks, and I've been working also. The next update will be up by friday, fingers crossed, but you don't really need to worry about that until i finish this absurdly long authors note and you can actually read this chapter, so read on! 

LOVE!

Nikole.

**Chapter 3: Teacher?**

Harry opened his eyes, and blinked hard in the sudden sunlight. He had awoken the same way every day for two weeks. Today was something special, the new Defence teacher would start lessons today. No student had any idea who would be the new teacher.

Harry remembered and then jumped out of bed, and stuffed on his robes and chucked his bag over his shoulder, and rushed downstairs. Hermione was one of the only people at the Ravenclaw table, and she was seated alone, far from everyone else. Professor McGonagall and Professor Sinistra were the only staff at the staff table, and 2 lonely Gryffindors sat at the abandoned Gryffindor table. Colin Creevey and his little brother Dennis waved Harry over as he entered, but he shook his head, and went over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Is this seat taken Miss Granger?" Harry asked the young girl, who was muching buttered toast and reading a book. she looked up, mildly surprised, and smiled. She nodded, and Harry plonked himself down next to her.

"Good Morning" he said, and helped himself to some eggs, and looked over Hermione's shoulder

"_Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century_? Interesting?" he asked, and she paused from her reading.

"Go and get a copy from the library" she said haughtily, and took another bite of toast.

"Well, I think I will. I'll see you later." Harry said, knowing that she was irritated, he grabbed a bit of toast, took hold of his bag, and disappeared.

"Harry?" she said quietly, but he had already left. She sighed deeply, and considering following him, but instead, she returned to her book.

Defence Against the Dark Arts was first for the Gryffindor fifth years. In the classroom, there were Ministry of Magic posters, and many doilies on the teachers desk, and a vase full of pink roses were atop one of the larger doilies, on the mahogany desk, that faced the class. The students all took their seats, and looked around, waiting for teh teacher. Harry was sitting between Cho and Ron, and was reading _Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century_, when the teacher entered.

"Oh My Lord! It's Dolores Umbridge!" said Cho and Ron at the same time, and Harry took his eyes off the captivating text for a second, to see a squat, toad-like woman, wearing a hot pink cardigan, and a large pink bow perched on her iron gray ringlets. She reminded him of a toad, and he shivered. She had an aura about her, and he didn't like it.

"I am Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, and I am your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Now, Wands away please, and please take out your individual copies of _Defence Unearthed, _by_ William Slinkard_." She said, and she took a seat at the desk, as people scuttled around in their bags for their books. Harry swapped _Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century _for _Defence Unearthed_ and once the class had become slient again, Professor Umbridge looked up.

"Please read Chapter One, there will be no need to talk." she said, and the class sighed. Harry couldn't concerntrate on teh text, and his mind began to wander.

"Miss Chang! please bring that note to me right now!" Shouted the professor, and Cho slowly closed her fist around the corner of the note, and Harry pointed his wand at the parchment, and whispered "_Terego_" and wiped the note clean.

"Mr Potter!" She screamed, outraged, and Harry swore under his breath. Professor Umbridge had seen him.

"One Weeks Detention! My office, 7pm, starting tonight" she shouted, and Harry nodded. "Now get back to your reading!" and everyone snapped their heads down to their textbooks. Harry was fuming. He hadn't done abything wrong.

"And for you, Miss Chang, 50 points from Gryffindor" Professor Umbridge concluded glaring at all of the students, and for the rest of the class, the students and teacher were silent.

"Harry! I can't beleive that you like, did that for me!" Cho exclaimed, and threw herself into his arms.

"It's okay Cho." he said, and withdrew himself from her arms. "A weeks' worth of detentions is probably better for you than if she had read that note." Harry chuckled, and Cho blushed.

"You didn't have to Harry. All it said was that Parvati had slept with Seamus Finnigan in the summer." Cho said confidently, then clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified "I wasn't supposed to tell!" she giggled nervously, and when neither Ron nor Harry replied, Cho threw her shiny black hair over her shoulder, and stalked off.

"God Harry, she doesn't act like half a snob. You just saved her from a week of detentions, and she doesnt even thank you properly." Ron said, and he shrugged at Harry, as they exchanged a look. "So what's with that massive book you're always reading?" Ron continued, and they continued walking.

"Hermione was reading it this morning, and she got really grumpy at me, so I thought I would read it to impress her I geuss," Harry said, looking at the stone floor of the corridor.

"That's nice mate. Should try something like that on Lavender, but I don't think she would like to know that I read _Witch Weekly_." Ron said, and Harry snorted.

"Yeah, for the reverse effect" Harry said, grinning

"Mate, shut up or I'll jinx you." Ron threatened, and Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Not if I get you first!" Harry said, running around the corner, and grabbing his Invisibility Cloak and throwing it over himself.

"You Used the cloak barstad!" Ron shouted, as he rounded the corner and couldn't spot Harry. Harry stiffled his laughs and pulled out his wand

"_Stupefy!_" Harry exclaimed, and Ron fell to the stone floor, stunned. People were laughing, and Harry ducked into an empty classroom, remoed the cloak, and went back outside. people were skirting around Ron, and laughing.

"_Enervate_" Harry said, pointing his wand at Ron's chest. Ron's eyes sprung open, and he saw Harry grinning down at him.

"Truce" Ron said, and grasped the hand Harry was holding down to him. Harry tugged Ron up, and grinning, they made their way to their next class, History of Magic.

That night, Hermione was sitting in the Great Hall, eating a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. She couldn't spot Harry anywhere, she wanted to apologize for her behaviour that morning. She could see Ron, sitting next to Dean Thomas, talking animatedly (probably about Quidditch, or Football), On a whim, she stood up, and walked quietly, nervously to the Gryffindor table.

"Ron?" she said, almost silently, and Ron looked around

"Oh, It's you. Yeah?" he replied, somewhat rudely.

"Hey Hermione, sit down why don't you?" Dean said, shuffling over, so Hermione could fit between them. she quickly hopped over the bench and sat down.

"Hey, Ron, Where's Harry?" She asked him, careful not to sound too desperate.

"Up in the common room, reading some massive book. said he wasn't hungry." Ron said, stuffing his mouth with french fires. Hermione looked appalled.

"What book?" she said, looking around at anything but Ron

"Something about Wizarding Acheivements of some century" Ron said through his food, and Hermione rose her eyebrows.

"_Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century_?" Hermione asked, flattered that Harry would really actually read it, just becuase she was so deeply interested in it.

"Sound's a bit like it" Ron said, shrugging. _At least this time he had finished his mouthful_, Hermione thought to herself.

"Thanks Ron" Hermione said, and Ron watched her grin at him, and stand up, and walk out of the Great Hall.

Harry was in the common room, reading _Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century_. he was really enjoying it, the enjoyment of which Harry had never got from a book. Harry looked up at the clock, it read 6:56.

"Shit!" Harry cursed and closed his book. he took it up to his dormitory, and bolted down out of the portrait hole. he sprinted through the halls, until he skidded ont eh stone as he halted outside Umbridge's office.

"Well, Potter, right on time" she said, her voice low, evil even, and Harry felt the hairs on his neck stand up.

"Good Evening, Professor Umbridge" Harry greeted the teacher, trying to keep his tone light and polite, but all he felt was pure dislike.

"Potter, you shall be writing lines. At that desk. write '_I must not cover for my friends_' until I see fit." Umbridge said, pointing one of her stubby ringed fingers at a little desk in the corner, on which a sharp quill and a leaf of parchment sat on.

"Professor, there's no Ink" Harry said as sat down at the desk.

"You will not be needing ink" She replied, smiling broadly at him. he started to write. at the same time he wrote the first letter, he felt a gash on his hand. the nk was red, and there was a cut in the same formation on his hand. he gasped. he was writing his lines in his own blood. it seemed crude, cruel, and illegal. he looked at Umbridge, who was grinning, and looking at him.

Hours past, and the cut got deeper. it stayed, and his blood dripped down onto the desk.

"Potter, lets see how it's _sunken_ in." Umbridge said, and she cackled. her laugh, was like electricity, flaring through his body.

She took his hand, and looked at the cut.

"Tut.Tut." She said, clicking her tongue. "Hmm. Well, again tomorrow night same time" He took this as his dimissal, and he walked as quickly as he could to the door. The wooden clock by the door, with pink detail, and ginger kittens running around the face, read 11:12pm.

The library was pretty much deserted. Madam Pince stalked the shelves, and Hermione Granger was leaning over a book. Harry was no-where in sight, and it was nearing midnight. _I can't beleive he skivved off. He never promised he'd come, but I thought he would_. Hermione couldn't read the text on her page. She was trying so hard to concerntrate, but her thoughts would flick to Harry. Tha library door opened, as tears sprung to Hermione's eyes.

"Hermione?" Harry was behind her.

"Harry?" she sniffed, and Harry threaded his arms around the girl in front of him.

"Are you crying 'Mione?" he whispered, and she shook her head.

"No" she said, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"'Mione, I had a detention, I thought you'd have heard." he said, sitting next to her and taking her hand in his. Her hand was warm, and he instantly felt warmed by it, until she gave a small, petrified scream.

"You're--You're Bleeding!" she exclaimed, shaking. Harrys hand was swollen and red, blood was dripping from it onto the table.

"Oh, Yeah. Umbridge made me write lines for my detention..." he quickly told her the story.

"Oh! that's cruel, surely, she'd never be able to do that! If Dumbledore knew, he'd freak!" she said, still shaking violently.

"'Mione, I'm not going to tell him. He's got... Other things on his mind" Harry said. The truth being, of course, that Dumbledore hadn't talked to him in months. He had been to Grimmauld Place numerous times, to talk to Sirius, but never, never had he attempted to talk to Harry, always arriving when Harry was in bed, or busy, and when Harry had been allowed to leave the Dursley's, it had not been Dumbledore who had told him, but Cho, who had heard it from her parents, who were aso in The Order of the Phoenix.

"Harry--" Hermione started, looking at Harry in a way she knew all to well, the 'I know I'm right' look. Harry looked into her eyes, and was comforted, but his anger did not lower.

"No" he said, in a finalising way. Hermione dropped it.

"So, Ron told me that you were reading _Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century_?" she said and she smiled.

"Yeah, you seemed so captivated in it, so I thought I'd see what was so great about it" he said, and he looked at his hands.

"That's really nice Harry" Hermione said, and she looked at him, watching his hands. The Clock in the library struck midnight.

"The Library is closed!" snapped Madam Pince, emerging from behind the bookcase. Hermione got up slowly, stuffing her books into her backpack.

"Here, I'll walk you back to the Ravenclaw Tower. Hop under my Cloak" he said, taking his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket, and throwing it over the two of them

"An Invisiblility Cloak? They're really rare!" she whispered excitedly, running her fingers over the inside of the cloak, feeling the silkiness of the material. Harry merely nodded, and took out his Marauders map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good. It's the Maruaders Map. Shows the locations of everyone in Hogwarts. See, Mrs. Norris is on the seventh floor, Filch is on the second, and we're on the fifth." he pointed at the offending dots as he spoke to her.

"It was made by my dad, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, when they were at Hogwarts, It's amazing! See, they were all unregistered animaguses, except for Lupin. Since he was a werewolf, his nickname was Moony. My dad could transform into a stag, so he's Prongs, and Peter could become into a Rat, Scabbers to be precise, Ron's old Rat, and he was called Wormtail. Sirius tranforms into a dog, that looks like a grim, and his nickname was Padfoot." Harry explained to the carefully listening Hermione, and they found themselves outside the Ravenclaw Common Room. Harry checked the map

"It's clear Hermione." He said, smiling at the latter, as she looked up to him, gazing intently into his eyes.

"See ya Harry" she said, and extracted herself from the cloaks silky depths. She was staring up at the portrait, and Harry silently tip-toed up to her, and left a tiny kiss on her cheek.

Hermione shivered, and felt at her cheek, perhaps it had been the draught in the corridor, but she had felt something on her cheek, and thinking hat maybe Harry had something to do with it, she climbed into the portrait hole.


	4. A Kiss Was All She Needed

**Chapter 5: A Kiss Was All She Needed**

**A/N:**The lyrics go to a song called 'Amazed' by Lone Star, it's an extremely sweet song! Thanks for the reveiws!

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Hermione was weaving through the crowds of fellow students, rushing to her next class. if she was late for Arithimancy, Professor Vector would be very grumpy. It was the last class of the week, and Hermione was tired. She couldn't wait until that night, after dinner, to get to the library, where she would spend another night studying, and doing her homework with Harry.

* * *

Harry, meanwhile, wasn't threading his way through students, but up a tight spiral staircase next to Ron, and Cho was slightly ahead of them. They were on their way to Divination, while six floors below, Hermione was also in a rush.

"Harry, Ron! Hurry up! we'll be late!" Cho called, as she stepped up to the top of the staircase, and started to climb the ladder. Harry and Ron quickly followed, and when they got into the tower classroom, Professor Trelawney was glaring at them, and Cho had already sat at a table at the front with Parvati and Lavender. Ron and Harry took the only spare seats, a table in the second row, and took out their books.

"Now, class, we face an unusual lesson today, As your OWLs are approaching, we turn ourselves to a relaxing lesson, that elightens the seeing membrane in you. So, Lean back, not on the pouffes, mind you, and think back to your first day of Hogwarts, on the platform." She instrusted the class, and Harry, leaning forward since he was on a pouffe, and crossing his arms on the table and lying his head on them.

Flashback

An eleven-year old Harry Potter, with the same messy jet black hair and vivid green eyes covered by round, black rimmed glasses that he had now, was holding the hand of a small asian girl who was standing next to him, with black hair that rippled as she jumped up and down.

"Hogwarts!" she was exclaiming with each jump, and two adults, also of asian heritage, were both pushing trolleys, lumped with massive trunks baring identical coats of arms stamped on them, and one had an owl in a cage, an owl the colour of pure, untrampled on snow.

"I know Cho! Im excited too!" he said loudly, and he pushed his glasses up on his nose, grinning at the girl next to him. the twosome stopped outisde the barrier separating platforms 9 and 10.

"Okay, Harry, Cho, run through the platform barriers." Mr Chang instructed, as him and his wife stopped behind the two children. Harry and Cho grinned at eachother, and with their hands still intwined, they ran at the barrier, and they station around them disappeared, and a new popped up. A scarlet engine was perched on the trcks next to the platform, smoke billowing around the platform, which was packed with teh sam amount of children and adults that was there at the end of every summer.

"Oh wow!" Harry and Cho said as one, and Mr and Mrs Chang appeared behind them.

"Okay kids, lets find you a compartment" said Mrs Chang in her calming, soft voice, and her and Mr Chang rushed off, pushing the trolleys. The two kids, still holding hands, quickly followed.

"Well, Harry, Cho, have a nice term, Cho, come for christmas darling. We'd invite you too, Harry, but we're going to Lin's parents" Mr Chang said, and he grinned at the two children. The adults kissed the two children, and after one last hug, Harry and Cho, still standing, with their hands joined, watching Mr and Mrs Chang disappear off the platform.

End Flashback

Harry opened his emerald eyes, and looked around the classroom, Cho was gazing at him, smiling, as she would have just finished remembering the same memory.

"Now, think about the memory, really concerntrate" said the professor, he eyes bulging excitedly. "Hold your wand to your temple, thinking about your memory, and pull the wand away from your head." the whole class put their wands to their temples, and as they extracted the wands from their heads, fine silver treads were attached to the tip of each persons wand, "put the threads in the vials in front of each of you." she instructed, watching the class. She then started to open a small cupboard in the corner of the class, and pulled out a massive grey stone sink.

"A penseive!" said Harry clearly, as he had seen one the previous year in Professor Dumbldore's office. Trelawney nodded, and put the sink up on the table at the front of the class.

"Alright. Miss Patil, bring us your vial." Professor Trelawney instructed the small short indian girl in the first row next to Cho. Parvati stood up nervously, and took the small glass vial to the teacher. Parvati went back to her seat as quickly as possible.

"Now, Who has used a penseive before?" Trelawney asked the class, glancing around at everyone. Harry raised his hand tentatively, and everyone stared at him, including Ron and Cho, the only two who also knew about his penseive adventure.

"Now, line up in single file, Mr Potter in front, who will show you how to enter the penseive. I've got it on pause, so It'll only start when I enter" She further instructed, and The class loudly, and messily lined up in front of the ancient sink, and everyone was watching Harry, and as he bent over, he plunged his head into the gassy liquid, and was immediately sucked into it's depth, and instead of hitting the bottom of the sink, he ended right way up in Kings Cross. The remainder of the class assembled around them, looking around at the frozen station. 2 indian girls, with identical plaits, blue jeans and pink t-shirts, were standing about a metre away, looking like statues.

* * *

After the memory had finished, all of the students was sucked out of the penseive and spat out onto the classroom floor. Harry was teh first, and he headed back to his seat so that there was space for everyone else to get hurled out of the pensieve. Cho grinned at him as she elegantly got out and with a flick of her black blanket of hair, sat back in her seat. Professor Trelawney got out last, and she immediately dismissed the class, who left cheerily, as it was the last class of the week, Cho and Ron starving hungry and with piles of homework to do, and Harry thinking of his library session with Hermione after dinner.

* * *

Hermione was thinking about the library session later that evening, and she wished Harry would ask her out, but the other day when Harry hinted at it, she blew him off, and probably scared him off. Hermione wasn't really hungry, so she went straight to the library after Arithimancy, and got out her little notebook from her bag, which was her journal and she wrote. she wrote for about an hour, and looked over what she read, and ripped it out of the notebook, and chucked it under a book. 

"Hey 'Mione!" Harry exclaimed, as he rounded the shelves to the table they usually sat at was located.

"Oh, Heya Harry" she said, smiled up at him as he sat down.

Later, Hermione was really tired, and decided to turn in early.

"Harry, I'm really tired, would you mind putting the rest of these books away when you leave, I'm going to go now." She said, and he nodded, and stood up to hug her.

"You coming in here tomorrow?" he asked her as he pulled her into him, her chest pressing hard into his.

"Yeah, at about 10." she replied, and she could feel her breasts pressing into him, and it felt amazingly good.

"I'll be here at 10. See you then!" he said grinning broadly, and they could both tell that they were looking forward to it. Hermione extracted herself from his arms and left, after picking up her bag.

Harry put away all of the text books, and found a page from a notebook. Must be Hermione's otherwise it would be on parchment. I guess I shouldn't read it. He battled with his conscience for a few more seconds and eventually, he unscrewed it, and sat down to read it

Start of Journal Entry:

_Dear Journal, _

_I can't beleive that the other day, in the library, I think Harry was hinting that he wanted to ask me to hang out in the weekend, but stupid me blew him off! I'm so stupid. I like him so much, and yet when he makes a move, I freeze up and reject it, so I doubt when I get ready to say yes that he won't ask because I keep rejecting him. I'm sooooo Stupid! I think I'm in love with him, but I'm kind of scared of Cho, she's really pretty, and extremely popular, and he would never look at me in that way when she's in the picture, she's so perfect, and I'm just plain old geeky Hermione Jane Granger. I'm not pretty or popular, in fact I am the complete opposite of both, so I have no chance with Harry, Quidditch super-jock and the Boy-who-lived, he could date any girl he wanted, so there would be no chance for little old me. It's kind of depressing, knowing my luck I will end up with someone like Colin or Dennis Creevey, who are a lot younger than me. I just wish he knew how I felt, but it's obvious he wouldn't feel the same way. I would tell him how I felt, but I'm too shy, I'm not like that, I can't be upfront and I don't have any experience with guys!_

_Today, in Arithimancy, Draco Malfoy threw a Dungbomb at me, and everybody laughed. He called me a filthy mudblood too, and I almost cried, I couldn't help it. I hate it how Slytherin people always call us muggle-borns 'mudblood' it really annoys me. But Draco, well he infuriates me! his little smirk, his shiny slicked back blonde hair and his smugness. He has this whole auroa that he's superior to everyone else, because the Malfoy family is quite high in wizarding society since Mr Malfoy has donated lots of gold to the ministry and St. Mungos. But he seems to think that becuase his parents used to be in You-Know-Who's inner circle. What's with that? _

_Harry, I think I_

And that's where it ended.

Harry threw the paper in the bin, got his bag, and walked up to the Gryffindor Tower. He thought hard about what she had written in her journal. There was a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, maybe he would ask her to go with him for the afternoon. Maybe. He should just kiss her. He'd wanted to for so long, maybe it was just time to. He'd always found some lame excuse to worm his way out of just going for it. Up in the Tower, there was an owl on his bed.

"Hedwig!" he exclaimed, it had been ages since he had written to Sirius, he had completely forgotten. "Thanks Hedwig" he whispered, taking the scroll from her leg and patting her soft feathers. she hooted dolefully, and flew out the open window, which he closed after he'd watch her travel around and across to the Owlery, he unrolled the parchment, sitting on the bed and started to read.Harry,

Looks like you've got a problem. I found when I asked girls out, that I was good looking, and girls were desperate to be with me, which should be similar for you, considering your fame, and fortune --not saying your ugly--. No idea on how to approach this girl though, she seems headstrong and booksmart, almost like your mother. Don't act like an arrogant prat, that's why your mother rejected James all of the years he tried to ask her out. Just be honest, and truthful, I never was, and look at me, I'm all alone, in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, thinking about you coming for christmas.

Well, good luck, I'll see you at Christmas, and if you get with this 'Hermione' then invite her for christmas lunch at the Burrow, Molly won't mind.

Love,

Sirius

Harry laughed, and he undressed, put the letter in his bedside drawer. he slipped between the warm sheets of his four-poster and looked up at the moon. His hug later that evening with Hermione, gave him a small ounce of determination at how hard she had hugged him.

* * *

Hermione was looking at the moon. She was wrapped in her sheets, staring at the full, bright moon that shone through the dormitory window. She thought about Harry, and what she had written about him in her journal. She smiled at the moon and thought about what tomorrow would bring at the library, and she found herself humming to herself, as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Oi!" someone shouted as a pillow collided with the side of Harry's face as he burrowed himself into the pillow. The noises around his room seemed amplified, and Ron was yelling at him to get up as everyone else got their things ready to go down for breakfast before heading to Hogsmeade for the day. The sun was shining through the window, making Harry squint, but the cloudless sky merely sparkled in response, and Harry relaxed back on his pillow. 

"I need some more Dungbombs, my case is almost empty!" said Dean, rustling around in his trunk.

"You coming mate?" asked Ron, pulling on a pair of maroon socks. He looked expectantly at Harry, who was looking very relaxed in his bed.

"I'll come to breakfast, but I'm not going to Hogsmeade" Harry said, throwing back his covers and jumping up.

"Okay, but Hurry up, I want to get to Zonko's before everythings gone." Ron replied, stuffing the wrinkled, nearly empty, but clinking, ancient looking money bag into his robe pocket.

"Ready" Harry said straightening up, grabbing his copy of Modern Wizarding Acheivements of the 20th Century, which he had to return to the library and followed Ron down to the common room.

* * *

Hermione saw, over her bowl of cereal, Harry and his friend Ron enter the Great Hall. She smiled slightly, even though he wasn't looking at her, and took another mouthful of cereal. 

"Oh, look, Granger has a crush on Harry Potter!" shreiked Marietta Edgecomb, who had been watching Hermione as Harry had come in.

"Do not!" Hermione replied, rather childishly, but she blushed.

"Ooo! You blushed, you so do!" said Marietta excitedly, looking at her friends, who were also watching Hermione with interest.

"I'm going to tell him!" she said, laughing, and standing up, walking towards the Gryffindor table, quickly followed by Hermione.

"Please don't!" Hermione said nervously.

"I am!" Marietta said, and she walked up to Harry. "Hello, Harry" she said snidely, looking at him with desire in her eyes.

"Hello Marietta. Hiya 'Mione, I was just about to head to the library" he said conversationally, and Hermione flashed him a quick smile, but she looked horror-struck.

"Yeah, well Harry, I just found out who has a massive crush on you!" Marietta said grinning evilly, with a small side glance at Hermione.

"Please don't Marietta!" said Hermione quietly, dreading what was about to come out of Marietta's mouth.

"Oh, Really? Do tell" Harry said, with interest, and looked at Hermione.

"Granger!" shreiked Marietta, barely containing her giggles. people were looking around nervously, wondering what the high pitched noise was.

"Sorry who?" he said, pretending to be confused, but hiding his sheer delight.

"Hermione!" she rephrased, grinning broadly.

"So? I happen to think that Hermione is an incredible person, I'm very flattered" he said, grinning at the two Ravenclaw Girls. he was ready for the kill, Marietta was going to get it. "In fact Hermione, would you like to come with me to Hogsmeade after we've been to the library?" he asked her, smiling at Hermione, an Marietta was glaring at the two, and Hermione's blush was deepening by the second, and she nodded.

"I'd love to Harry!" she said, gushing.

"Oh my god! get a room!" said Marietta agressively, pushing people aside to return to her seat.

"Do you have any stuff?" He asked Hermione, who shook her head, her hair spinning aorund her, glittering light from the sun reflecting off of each strand. "So let's just go to the library." Harry picked up his book, and linked arms with her, and her heart stopped for a quick second, and they walked toward the library.

"So, Little 'Mione's got a crush aye?" he said, taunting her. She blushed deeply, and looked away. "It's okay, I have a crush on someone too, It's normal" he said reassuringly, grinning mishcheiviously.

"On Who?" she asked interestedly, looking back at him, with a slight look of hurt in her eyes.

"I'll tell you when we get to the library," he whispered lightly in her air, his breath tickling her air, and a shapr intake of her breath followed, and she took in his scent, a pleasant, aftershave like smell.

* * *

The library was empty. Even the first and second years had found something to do, most likely out in the sun. A sunny day was unlikely, but relished by students in the middle of November. Hermione followed Harry to their normal table, and they sat down. Harry placed his book on the shelf it came from, and watched Hermione look for a book. he walked as silently as possible up behind her. he grabbed her waist and spun her around. 

"'Mione" he whispered as his face inched towards hers. she smiled, and closed her eyes slightly, her face to the side. _Oh My God, my first kiss!_ Hermione thought, as she looked through her eyelashes at him. he kissed her lips delicstely and her hands slowly wrapped around his neck, and his held her waist. he nibbled gently at her lip, and she slightly opened her mouth, and he thrust his tongue ever so lightly into her mouth, and his fingers lightly traced her back bone, and she moaned in his mouth. he couldn't help but smile, and their tongues wrapped together in a slow motion duel, and her fingers ran through his hair. his hands travelled down her body, his fingers lightly tracing her body, and his hands wrapped lightly around her bum. he broke off, and he loked into her chocolate brown eyes, which sparkled like jewels as they looked into his shiny emerald orbs.

"'Mione, I've wanted to do that for so long" he whispered to her, their arms still wrapped around each other. she nodded and smiled,

"I know, I've wanted you to do it for so long" she replied, and he smiled.

"Hermione Granger, Will you go out with me?" he asked her, his voice returning to normal volume, even though they were still close.

"Oh, Harry, yes!" she said, her voice going high pitched as she hugged him tight.

"So, Who's your crush?" she asked, conversationally, as they continued looking at each other.

"You, 'Mione, are the Chosen One." he said, and she grinned. he kissed her lightly on her temple, and they broke apart.

"Shall we go to Hogsmeade?" she asked, raising her carefully plucked eyebrows.

"Of course, my darling" he curtsied as he said this and she giggled. he took her hand in his, which she found surprisingly warm, and she walked alongside him.

* * *

"When's the first Quidditch game?" she asked, as tehy walked past the Quidditch stadium, and she saw Harry staring up at it with longing. 

"Next weekend, Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw, who are you going to cheer for?" he said, and he shot her a sideways look. she grinned, and shrugged.

"Probably Ravenclaw" she said, and she watched as he feigned shock. she laughed, and he looked at her and they both stopped walking.

"Well, I'm going to have to make you change your mind" he said firmly, and he pushed her to the ground. he kissed her nose, and he tickled her. She shrieked, and he laughed at her. he tickled harder and she shreiked so high pitched he was knocked back. She took out her wand and pointed it at him.

"I surrender!" he said, and they fell back on the grass, laughing together.

"Oh 'Mione" he said, as he leaned over her and kissed her deeply, and she pulled him down onto her, and he fell on top of her. her hands were running through his hair, and his hands were running along her body, inching up her stomach. he traced her stomach lightly, and she moaned again in his mouth. he traced her breast, and she broke the kiss.

"What's wrong Hermione?" he asked, as he lay next to her.

"Nothing, It just surprised me." she said, and she smiled reassuringly at Harry. "It was nice, but I've never-- Don't laugh, but I've never kissed anyone like that before" she blushed dark red, and he looked at her.

"That's okay, You're very good, I haven't had much anyway." he said, and she smiled at him.

"You flatter me!" she said, giggling, and she patted him on the chest. He stood up, and tugged at her hand,

"Come on! I wanna go to Honeydukes!" he exclaimed excitedly, pulling on her hand like a little boy. they half walked, half ran, down the sun drenched lane to the village.

"I couldn't imagine a better day to go to Hogsmeade, or a better person to go with" Harry said, and Hermione grinned up at him.

"Aw. How corny!" she said, teasingly. He laughed at her. "I didn't say it was a bad thing!" she said, and she snuggled into him, and he loosely wrapped his arms around her shoulders and smiled down at her head, which he kissed.

* * *

Honeydukes was full of Hogwarts students, purchasing and tasting sweets. 

"I love their chocolate!' she exclaimed, and together they squeezed around the packed shop towards the Honeydukes Chocolate stand. Selecting 4 or 5 blocks, they also got Peppermint Toads, which Harry loved. They took the sweets up to the counter, and as Hermione rustled in her robe pockets for a few spare coins.

"No." Harry said simply, extracting a bursting money bag from his pocket, and laying a golden Galleon on the counter.

"Keep the change" he said off-handedly, and the Honeydukes man beamed, and the couple smiled.

"Harry! you gave him 3 times what you should have paid!" Hermione exclaimed as they exited out onto the road, many students were roaming around outside, and a few looked in their direction.

"I have a couple of million Galleons in my vault, it's nothing, plus Sirius has this automatic payment thing, where 12 galleons from his vault goes into mine every week." Harry said, and she relaxed.

"Okay, where do you want to go?" she said, changing the subject, and she looked up at him. he stared out over the mountains, and into the distance.

"Zonkos?" he replied, but shook his head. "I don't really want to" he said, and looked down at her.

"How about the Shreiking Shack?" she added, and he nodded.

* * *

The Shreiking Shack was silhoutted against the sun, and Hermione and Harry stood in the sun, and Hermione conjured a blanket out of thin air. they lay down next to each other, silently 

"Thanks for coming with me" he said quietly, and he blushed lightly.

"Thanks for inviting me." she said simply.

"What do you like to do in the sun? I'm so bored" he replied, and she laughed.

"At home, in the summer, I always sing to the radio, even when I'm in the pool." she said, laughing, and she looked at him, and took in his appearence, one thing she never got sick of.

"Sing to me 'Mione" he said, and he propped himself up on his elbow to watch her.

"No!" she said, blushing

"I bet you sing heavenly" he said, "Go, please" he pleaded, and she took a deep breath.

_"Every time our eyes meet, _

_This feeling inside me, _

_Is almost more than I can stand,_

_Every time you touch me, _

_I can feel how much you love me, _

_And it just blows me away,_

_I've never been this close to anyone,_

_Or anything,_

_I can hear your thoughts, _

_I can see your dreams._

_Every little thing that you do, _

_I'm so in love with you,_

_It just keeps getting better,_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life,_

_With you by my side,_

_Forever and ever,_

_Every little thing that you do, _

_Baby I'm amazed by you._

_The smell of your skin,_

_The taste of your lips, _

_The way you whisper in the dark,_

_You're here all around me, _

_Baby you surround me,_

_Touch every place in my heart,_

_And it feels like the first time, _

_Every time,_

_I wanna spend the whole night, _

_In your eyes_"She stopped, and looked at Harry, who was smiling brightly, looking over the land, the rolling hills back to Hogwarts.

"That was beautiful, you have the voice of an angel" he mummured, and he kissed her forehead.

"Thanks, It's one of my favourites. It always plays on the 80's station" she said, and she lay back. Harry leaned down over her and kissed her. She deepened the kiss (she was getting used to it by now) and he pulled her over onto him. He twisted her hair around his finger, and she ran his fingers over his Quidditch body.

"There's the clock, it's time to head back" said Hermione as the kiss was broken by a gong in the distance. They stood up, the blanket was vanished, and they walked back towards the village, to walk the lane back to school.


	5. When You Find What You're Looking For

**Disclaimer...** insert here

**A/N: **Thanks for your reveiws, I love you! Sorry for the lack of updates, mock exams have gone, and our big end of year exams are extremely close, but I'll try to update A.S.A.P.

xxoo

Nik.

* * *

**Chapter 5****: When You Find What Your Looking For, There's Always a Surprise **

Snow was hurtling against the windows of the castle. The corridors were so cold that during morning classes the stone floors were slippery and icy. Dragon Hide gloves were a new trend, keeping your hands warm, and many girls had charmed theirs to look better with colours, patterns and accessories. Hermione, however, braved the cold everyday, with no reach out to the trend, and she froze until late at night in the library. Harry was always there, he walked her to classes, no matter how late he ended up being, except for Defence Against the Dark Arts. Ron and Cho were heading to Divination, and Harry was walking Hermione to her Arithimancy class.

"I just HATE her so much!" exclaimed Cho, stamping her foot.

"I know you do Cho, why don't you do something about it" Ron replied, looking out the frozen window, and sighing. He also missed his best friend.

"Oh, Ron your a genius!" she shreiked, and threw her arms around Ron.

"God" he muttered, as she let go.

"I should make her cheat on him" she said, glancing around with an evil look.

"Cho, are you in love with Harry?" Ron asked , so upfront that Cho blushed

"Well, Ron, I don't know! I've known his since primary school, and his cousin Dudley and his friends used to beat him up, and I knew when I saw his scar that he was Harry Potter, and I made friends with him. But back then, I only made friends with him because he was famous, I've never Michael Corner, Seamus, Dean, or any of the other better looking guys. He has potential, since he's famous and all, but he never wanted to be the cool guy. He looks at people for their inside, not the out, sure it hacks me off, but he's still Harry." She said, sounding mildly frustrated.

"Cho?" he asked, looking at her as she looked at her open hands on her lap.

"Yeah?" she replied quietly, and looked up at him.

"You're really shallow" he said simply, stood up, and shivering, he walked off towards the divination classroom.

"Oh, Harry. Please, everything's gone wrong." she said, tears streaming down her cheeks, and as she took out her hot pink and purple polka dotted Dragon Hide gloves and pulled them onto her frozen fingers.

"Hermione!" Marietta was yelling as she wrestled her way through the packed corridor. Hermione's brown bushy head was bobbing along the corridor, as she hurried along. She heard her name, stopped, and turned. 

"What Marietta?" she said, slightly snobbishly, and she glared at the taller, older girl.

"Is it true?" Marietta said excitedly, jumping up and down slightly

"What's true?" Hermione asked, pretending to be confused, _It's about Harry_. she thought to herself, and tried to keep her face straight.

"That you're going out with Harry Potter!" exclaimed Marietta grinning. "It was on the list in the bathroom!"

"Oh, Yeah, well I am" Hermione said, and turned around to walk away. _I wasn't supposed to tell, but I was the one who wanted to keep it a secret, but oh well, Marietta's face was worth it!_ Hermione thought, and she smiled.

"Hermione!" called Marietta again and Hermione spun around again "well, sit with us at dinner, okay?" Marietta smiled, and with a wave of her lime green gloves, she continued down the corridor. Hermione shrugged to herself.

"Hello" said Hermione quietly, as she sat down tentatively at the Ravenclaw table, next to Marietta

"Hi Hermione" said Marietta, and looked back at her friends.

"Is it true? your going out with Harry Potter?" asked a girl opposite her. Hermione nodded. "I'm Tam" the girl introduced herself. "That's Kelly" she pointed to the straight red-headed girl next to her, and continued "Indi" pointing to a curly blonde "and Shan" indicating to the girl on the other side of Marietta, with long black hair similar to Cho's except longer. Hermione looked at each person, who smiled at her, and a girl nudged her in her waist, on the other side of her.

"Hermione, that lot are not good" said the small indian girl, Padma, who was making herself comfortable in her seat, rearranging her long dark brown plait.

"Why?" Hermione asked with interest, not usually one to gossip, but oh well.

"They're sluts all of them. Marietta slept with Micheal Corner the other night, and he has an un-named girlfriend" said Padma wisely, but keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't be heard.

"Patil. Shut up." said Marietta, who had heard.

"No, Marietta, you." said Hermione, and she threw a very dangerous look at Marietta.

"Hermione, would you like to come to the Gryffindor table with me? I'm going to see Parvati" Padma said, and she stood up. Hermione followed, smiling at the girl.

"Did she really have sex with Micheal?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I saw them, sadly, in an empty classroom next to the portrait hole" Padma nodded, and looked revolted. Parvati was between Harry and Cho, and Ron was opposite them, and he kept throwing icy glares at Cho. Hermione couldn't help but smile, she didn't really beleive in Karma, but Cho had it coming to her. Hermione walked along next to Padma, and as Padma sat next to Ron, across from her twin. Hermione squeezed in between Harry and Parvati.

"Heya Harry" said Hermione, looking up at him.

"Hi Babe" he replied, and leaned down so their lips met, and Harry stroked her hair, and broke off. Many people were staring at them, some in awe, soem with jealousy, and a few, like Cho, with anger. Hermione grinned, and he kissed her cheek again. "I missed you" he whispered in her ear, and she blushed and smiled.

"What's up with Cho and Ron" said Hermione, as she took a french fry off his plate and popped it in her mouth.

"Fighting like a pack of wolves" muttured Harry and the two of them laughed.

"Did you hear that Micheal Corner slept with Marietta? And he's apparently got a girlfriend!" said Hermione, and Harry looked at her

"And since when did my 'Mione start gossiping?" he asked, slightly entertained.

"He slept with Marietta!?" asked Ginny, who next to Ron, looking angry and upset.

"Yeah" mummured Hermione, surveying Ginny with interest. She looked extremely upset. She stood up and looked over at teh Ravenclaw table, before walking quickly out of the Great Hall. Hermione raised her eyebrows at Harry, who shrugged.

"Want to go?" he said, and she nodded. they stood, said goodbye to Ron, and with their hands tightly intwined, they left the Great Hall together.

"Do you want to go to the library?" he asked her, as they walked through the corridors.

"No. I want to go in here, with you" she whispered huskily, pulling him through the door by the front of his robes. She kissed him, her body pressed hard up against him. He responded, deepening the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth. He pushed his hands down her body, and her fingers were threading through his hair. His hands were stroking her stomach under her school blouse, and she moaned in his mouth excitedly. she leaned up agaisnt the desk behind her, and as she broke the kiss, she lay back on the desk, and nodded at his raised eyebrows, answering his silent question. His fingers were stroking further up her body, towards her breasts. She spread her legs and pulled him closer.

"please Harry" she mummured, excitement pulsing through her veins and her heart pumping with adrenaline. His fingers were at her bra, and she rubbed her breasts, and her nipples perked up, he sighed, and he leaned across her and their lips met gently, and he left kisses on her cheeks, nibbling at her earlobe, and kissed down her neck, suckling at the soft flesh on her neck, her back arched towards him, and he smiled down at her. Her hands scrambled at his belt, loosening it so she could get her hand down there.

"Harry, I've never done this before, but I'll try" she whispered, panicked.

"It's okay baby, neither have I" he replied, and he gasped as her hand went down into his pants, and suddenly, beyond his control, his manhood stood in all glory. her hand lightly stroked it, squeezing at it's base and using her thumb to stroke the end while she squeezed her way up.

"Excuse me!" someone said sternly from behind them. Her hands flew from his pants, he stopped stroking and guiltily they turned to see Professor McGonagall glaring at them from the doorway. "Mr Potter, Miss Granger, I would have expected better from the two of you" she said, her voice rising with her anger. Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist.

"Sorry Professor" they both said, bowing their heads in shame.

"Well, Normally a detention would do it, but it seems that Professor Dumbledore would like to see you Potter. You better come too Miss Granger" the professor continued, and the couple nodded. Harry's hand was wrapped protectively around his girlfriend's waist, and they followed McGonagall to the Stone gargoyle that gaurded the Headmaster's office. McGonagall knocked on the headmaster's door.

"Come in" said a tired, exhausted voice from within the office. Harry and Hermione shared a look of alarm at his voice. The door opened, and the trio entered the room.

"Minerva, to what do I owe this pleasure?" said Dumbledore, looking at the students behind her with interest. "Ah, Harry!" he said loudly, beckoning the student towards him. Harry stepped forward and dragged Hermione with him "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Dumbledore looked amused,

"Oh, sir, this is Hermione Granger, she's my girlfriend" Harry said nervously, and Hermione smiled reassuringly at him.

"These two were in an empty classroom on the first floor, they were pretty, um, ah, close" Professor McGonagall said, uncomfortably. Hermione and Harry blushed, and Dumbledore merely chuckled.

"Well, it seems that they were, how do I put this, getting to know each other" Dumbledore said, and McGonagall frowned. "I wish to talk to Harry alone" he continued, and he sat up straighter in his chair. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand.

"You can say it to 'Mione too, sir, I'm only going to tell her later" said Harry, and Hermione beamed.

"Really?" she whispered excitedly, looking at him, when he nodded, she threw her arms around his neck. Harry hugged her back and blushed.

"Okay" said Dumbledore "Please have a seat" McGonagall glared around the room before she exited, slamming the door heavily behind her. "She doesn't seem to be in the best mood" he mummured, and Harry laughed.

"Well, Harry, Miss Granger," Dumbledore tapped his desk with his fingers.

"Call me Hermione, sir" said Hermione quietly, and nervously.

"Okay Hermione," he said and she smiled in recognition. "I suppose you know of Harry's dreams, what he has been witnessing over the last few years, of Voldemort's activity" she shook her head, and Dumbledore looked surprised at this.

"I haven't told her sir, because it hasn't happened since last year." Harry said, and he shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, 'Mione, I should have told you" he looked into her eyes, pleading,

"It's okay," she whispered, and squeezed the hand she was still holding, which he lifted, and kissed her hand. She smiled, and Dumbledore also smiled.

"Well, it seems Harry that you shall have to learn Occulmency." Dumbledore announced. Hermione gasped, and Harry looked confused.

"Occu-what?" said Harry,

"Occulmency You-Know-Who is very accomplished at Legilmens, that's like mind-reading, and that must be what he's doing to you, putting dreams into mind using Legilmens. Occulmency stops this from happening, like a barrier. It means that every night, or whenever else you sleep, you'll have to clear your mind of all thoughts before you go to sleep, as well as your emotions. It's very difficult Harry, you'll have to work very hard, and it's extremely tiring." Hermione said, and the headmaster, who was listening deeply, nodded.

"who's going to teach me?" he asked, after smiling broadly at Hermione.

" Me." announced Dumbledore, "Professor Snape volunteered, but I know how much you, ah, despise him, so I thought I'd do it, if that's okay Harry" he continued, and Harry nodded.

"Well, professor, When do I start?" he asked, he was kind of excited. He was looking forward to Occulmency.

"Next Monday, 8 o'clock, right here." Dumbledore smiled, he could tell Harry was enthusiastic.

"Well, I suppose you two should be heading back to your common rooms. Good evening. Use the Cloak Harry" Dumbledore dismissed the two.

"Goodnight Professor" they both said quietly, and exited the office. Hermione was shaking, and Harry, thinking she was cold, put his arm gently around her.

"Occulmency Harry! That'll be amazing!" Hermione said to him, as she leaned into him. He took his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and threw it over them. She looked up at him as he did it, and he grinned playfully. He pulled her closer to him, and he kissed her, starting softly, bet gaining pace as the time wore on. It was only a matter of seconds.

"Harry. We'll get caught!" Hermione whispered urgently, as she broke from his lips. She giggled, and she pulled his hand as she tried to walk back to her dormitory. Her head was swimming with thoughts, from Harrys visions to the fact that he didn't tell her. She also thought of all the undone homework she had ignored while she hung out with Harry. They'd been going out for a while, and he was keeping secrets from her. She bet that even Cho would know more about Harry than him. The thought of Cho made her angry, and irritated. "We're prefects Harry, we don't need the cloak, we're allowed out." She tugged the Cloak off her and started to walk down the corridor. "You don't have to walk me to my Dorm Harry. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed his lips lightly, and flashing him a final smile, she disappeared around the corner. Harry stood there, confused, and after standing there for a minute or so, he turned and headed back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Cho was around the corner. She'd been hiding in the shadows as Hermione had walked past. Cho pulled her wand out of her robes, and pointed it at Hermione's shoulder blades.

"_Stupefy_" she whispered, and Hermione dropped to the ground abruptly. Cho tore at Hermione's robes, using her wand to make little cuts all over her body. After kicking Hermione in the stomach, Cho turned and ran.

"Mr Potter!" Someone was shouting at Harry, shaking him awake. As he opened his eyes, all he could see was a smudge of colour. Groping his bedside cabinet for his glasses he put them on, and found that his bed, with him in it, was surrounded by Professor McGonagall, Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville.

"Follow me Potter." Was all the professor said, and without getting his robe, Harry followed his head of house out of his Dormitory.

"What's happened?" Harry asked as the twosome manoeuvred the halls of the school.

"Miss Granger was attacked." The professor stated bluntly. Harry froze.

"Hermione? What happened?" Harry said, not moving. McGonagall spun around, angry.

"Hurry up! She was attacked, it seems" she replied, and Harry followed once more.

"This isn't the way to the Hospital Wing! I want to see her!" Harry stopped again, also getting angry.

"She doesn't want to see you. She doesn't want to see her attacker. We're going to the headmaster's office." Her voice was stern.

"I didn't attack her! I _love _her!" He yelled, and then suddenly as he went to keep talking, found he wasn't able to. The transfiguration professor had cast a non-verbal silencing spell on him.

"Now Potter, if you don't come quickly, I will have to levitate you" Harry followed once more, and within minutes, they were outside the door to the Headmaster's office. McGonagall knocked, and entered. Dumbledore looked grave as he stared intently at Harry, whom was looking extremely nervous.

"Sit down please Mr Potter" Dumbledore said, gesturing to the chair. Harry had flinched at the use of his surname, and he nervously sat in front of the headmaster.

"Well?" Dumbledore said, looking at Harry, irritated somewhat by Harry's lack of response. He continued to glare at Harry, who looked up at McGonagall pleadingly, and she suddenly jerked.

"Sorry! I put Harry under a silencing spell, he making a ruckus in the corridor, and I forgot." McGonagall blushed slightly, and stepped forward to non-verbally remove the spell.

"It wasn't me I swear! We left here, and I threw the Cloak over us, and we were kissing" he blushed before continuing, "And then she pushed me off, and said goodnight, and walked away. I don't know why she got stroppy with me! Maybe it was because of the dreams? I don't know!" Harry was shouting, tears were forming in his eyes. "Is she okay?" he said quieter. He looked into Dumbledore's blue eyes, and he saw the Headmaster staring back at him.

"She's okay now. She was stunned, and was bleeding from several cuts over her body, and her robes were torn. She thinks it was you." Dumbledore looked at him seriously. "I believe you Harry, but I don't know how to convince her."

"Please sir, can I see her?" Harry asked eagerly.

"You can try, I'm not sure if she will want you there." The headmaster nodded sadly "I shall take you there now." He held the door open for Harry, who refused to go before the Headmaster, who smiled and exited in front of Harry.

The hospital wing had one occupant. Hermione Granger was pretending to be asleep. She was confused. She wanted to know why Harry had attacked her. She didn't even see him, but who else would have done it? The door opened, and Hermione closed her eyes.

"'Mione?" Harry whispered, leaning close to her, and kissing her forehead. Hermione's eyes opened quickly, and with anger flaring up inside her, she turned to him, even though it was extremely painful.

"Get Out! How dare you attack me! Why? I thought you _loved_ me! I gave you my everything and you go and attack me! Leave! It's Over Harry!" she shouted, and even Dumbledore flinched.

"Hermione! Please believe me! It wasn't me I promise. I love you! I do! I would never do that to you" he was saying it quietly, urgently, and tears were running down his cheeks

"Are you crying?!" she said, as if it was the stupidest thing ever. "What kind of sick person are you?" she was still shouting. Dumbledore stepped forward, and put a hand on Harry's shaking shoulder.

"Harry, I think you should leave." Dumbledore said this sternly, and Harry nodded.

"I Love you Hermione. Goodnight, Hermione, Professor" Harry turned and walked away, and Harry could hear Dumbledore sit down.

In the common room, Ron, Dean, Seamus and Neville had got the girls up, and they were all waiting for Harry to come back. Professor McGonagall hadn't told them what was up, but they figured it had to be important, since she had got Harry up at this hour. The Portrait opened, and Harry appeared. Every eye in the common room went to him.

"Harry! What happened?" Cho ran to him and hugged him, and he shook her off.

"Hermione." Was all Harry could say, and he was shaking in shock.

"Oh Harry, what happened?" Cho sounded worried, and she looked worried, but deep inside she was excited.

"She was attacked. She thought it was me." Harry wiped away his tears, and walked past them, up to his dormitory.

"Harry?" people were calling after him but he didn't turn, but carried on 


	6. Deep Dark Aftermath

Chapter 6: The Deep Dark Aftermath

Harry refused to go to classes for the next week. Hermione had long been discharged from the Hospital Wing, and at first, Dumbledore was tolerant of his absence from classes, on the one condition that Harry did all the set homework that Ron would bring back from every class. But after the first week, even Dumbledore was fed up with this charade. So on the following school day Dumbledore insisted that Harry returned to classes. Harry returned after begging to stay off. Hermione had avoided him since, even when he had cornered her to talk to her. He had spent a day in the hospital wing when she had jinxed him when he had actually got on his knees, begging her to go back to him. Cho and Ron had frequently tried to cheer him up, going out on their brooms, Quidditch practises, prefect duties and playing chess. Nothing could pull him out of the deep depressive spiral.

On one particular night, Hermione and Harry had been scheduled to patrol together. They had scheduled the patrol since before the attack, and neither could get out of it. They had met, in complete silence, outside the Library and had set off patrolling without a sound.

"Hermione…" He started, but was cut off with a angry glance from Hermione.

"Potter, shut up." She growled.

"You sound just like my mother talking to my father when they would patrol together." He said, more to himself than to her, but she stopped.

"Potter. One more word, and I'll hex you into next week." She drew her wand, and pushed him up against the wall, and she walked off. "Hurry up!' she snapped, and Harry stared after her. Harry started to walk. Hermione reminded Harry of his mother, from what he had heard from Hagrid, Sirius, and pictures he had seen in Grimmauld Place, and in yearbooks and belongings that Sirius had put in his attic after that frightful Halloween.

"Hermione please Listen to me!" He begged.

"Potter, its Granger to you. You lost the right to call by my first name when you attacked me." She grouched, and continued walking.

"Why on earth would I attack you? What did I have to gain from it?" he asked her, as he followed her through the corridors.

"I don't know, I'm not usually in the mind of a psychopath like you. I'm realistic, you're sick, Revolting even. I have no idea why I even went out with you." She said, shaking her head at him.

"You went out with me because you love me, just like I love you. I love you Hermione Jane Granger. I always will. When you find out that I didn't do it, I'll still be here, waiting." Harry said and he walked off, her following at a slower pace.

"Well, Blaise. You're out after curfew. Detention with McGonagall at 8 tomorrow night." Harry had seen Blaise, who had been wondering the Hallways, with his wand held in front of him, and he had smirked when he had spotted Harry, followed by Hermione.

"You and your mudblood are out rather late. I'm surprised you two are actually patrolling, not in a broom cupboard instead, but then Harry; you're a hero, attacking the Mudblood. Rather Slytherin of you." Blaise still smirked as he said this.

"Blaise! 2 detentions, and if we see you out and about again it'll be a week." Hermione snarled, anger making her shake.

"Hermione, I'll do the rest of the patrol, you go." Harry put his arm on her shoulder. She shakes it off and shakes her head.

"No. I can do it, because if I don't, I'll owe you." She said her voice and gaze cold. They walked through the corridors, silence stretching between them.

Back in the common room, Ron and Cho had both gone to bed, and Fred and George were demonstrating their new shield hats. (Challenge your friends to throw jinxes at you while wearing the hat, and watch it rebound on them!) Harry sat himself at his favourite table, and drawing his quill and parchment closer, he wrote a letter to Sirius.

Sirius. 

How are things at Grimmauld Place? I hope you are well, and I know Christmas Break only starts next week, but I thought I'd send you this to keep you up to date. 

Hermione and I broke up. Professor Dumbledore told me and Hermione that I have to learn Occulmency. She didn't know I was having visions of Voldemort's activity. She got kind of annoyed that I hadn't told her about them and she wouldn't let me walk her back to her common room. I tried to tell her that it wouldn't be safe to walk around alone, and I didn't think I should follow her. I wish I had because she was attacked. I got woken up at 2am, and Professor Dumbledore told me what had happened. Turns out she thinks I attacked her, and now she hates me, she screamed at me for crying when she said she hated me. 

She calls me 'Potter', just like Mum used to say to Dad, in fact, I think she despises me the same amount, she said tonight on patrol that 'I lost the right to call her by her first name when I attacked her.' She won't let me explain that I didn't do it. I know that I shouldn't be so cut up about breaking up with her, but I was in love with her. Seriously. I am, and she doesn't get it. It's almost like a replay of my mother and father, but we went out first, and I only really knew her since the start of this year. I don't know how to win her back, or how to find out who did attack her. 

Well, I can't wait to come back for Christmas; I'll have to go to Diagon Alley when I get back, to get presents for everyone. 

Love, 

Harry.

He went to the Owlery with his invisibility Cloak, only to find Hermione sitting next to her owl, which was called Lillith, and was jet black, with startling green eyes. Harry saw her and crept around invisible, looking for his own Hedwig. He spotted the amber eyes, and then the white plume and he walked forward, taking off his Cloak, and with a glare from Hermione, he coaxed his owl down to him, and tied the letter to her clawed foot, he patted her, whispering to her.

"Hedwig, it's for Sirius. It's about Hermione, we broke up." He sniffed, and Hedwig clipped him with her beak, and hooted gently, before flying off into the distance to deliver his letter. On the way out of the door, he smiled at Hermione, who glared at him, and continued patting her owl. Her owl has black feathers and green eyes. That's a bit ironic really. He was thinking to himself, as he weaved through the dark deserted corridors, invisible, thinking about Hermione.

The train ride back to London was uneventful. Cho, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny shared a compartment, while Hermione shared with Padma Patil and a few other Ravenclaw girls, whom she had never really before been friends with. Padma was sure that Harry wouldn't have attacked Hermione, considering that Parvati usually spouted constant praise about him.

"Does she really know him?" Hermione asked thoughtfully, staring at Padma with interest.

"Well, In first year, him, Cho and Ron solved the mystery of the Forbidden Third Floor corridor, and in second year, sure he is a parslemouth, but he saved everyone by killing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. And third year, he and Ron got the Hippogriff to safety, and figured out that Sirius Black wasn't a murderer, but that it was Peter Pettigrew, who had also faked his own death. And you know that last year he won the Triwizard Tournament, and he fought You-Know-Who. That's got to mean something right?" Padma finished her speech, and looked at Hermione, questioningly.

"But, after he attacked me, I thought about it. What about if he wanted the Philosopher's Stone for himself? Who really knows what happened in the Chamber? How do we know that he was the one who killed it, maybe he lured Ginny Weasley into the Chamber, to frame her? And Sirius Black, what if he really was the murderer and Harry simply wanted to get his Godfather off the hook so he could leave those awful muggles he used to live with. And last year, he was the only witness in the graveyard, apart from the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who, so anything could have happened, they could have agreed to work together!" Hermione countered, and all of the girls looked at her, a bit mystified.

"I suppose" Padma said unconvincingly, looking away.

"You think I'm being ridiculous?" Hermione replied, anger raging up in her.

"Let's just drop it, right?' Padma said, smiling again.

"Harry? You there?" Ginny was waving her hand in front of Harry's face as he stared out of the window. Cho had gone to see Parvati and Lavender, and Neville and Ron had gone to Fred, George and Lee's compartment. Harry hadn't even realised, as he had been day-dreaming, thinking about Hermione.

"I think the Wrackspurt's got him" Luna stated, looking at him with interest. Harry nodded dumbly.

"You really want her back don't you?" Ginny asked, as her heart sunk, not really waiting for the answer. She loved him, she always had, but he was always busy looking at someone else.

"Yeah" Harry said shortly, tears coming to his emerald eyes.

"Well. We could try talking to her" Luna said, looking over her issue of The Quibbler at him.

"That wouldn't really work. She's made up her mind, she'll refuse to change unless she figures it out for herself, and she's like that." Harry said, wiping his eyes, and looking at Ginny and Luna.

"What have you got to lose?" Ginny said, shrugging.

"A lot, I want her to learn that I'm my own person, I've said what I've got to say, and when she's ready she'll come back. My dad constantly nagged my mum to go out with her for five years. It took five years, and sure, she finally did say yes, but I don't want to have to wait that long. I know that the truth will eventually come out, these things always do, it won't take long." Harry said as if he was wishing it to be true. "It doesn't mean I won't persevere, I'll just give her space and time." He said, so it didn't sound like he was giving up on her. Ginny smiled.

"That is so sweet!" Luna exclaimed, and the two girls exchanged a look. "If only Michael was like that, Ginny?" Luna added, and Ginny reddened.

"You're with Michael Corner?" Harry asked, and suddenly it all fit together.

"I was with Michael. He cheated on me with that Marietta Edgecomb in Ravenclaw, so I ditched him." Ginny said, scowling at the memory.

"Were you alright?" Harry asked, pulling her into a brotherly hug.

"Yeah, I didn't really like him much anyway." She shrugged, and then continued "But I didn't realise it until we'd broken up of course." She grinned.

"Do you think Hermione thinks like that too?" Luna asked interestedly, having discarded her magazine.

"No. She's the one who's always upfront. On the night that she was attacked she said she loved me. We'd never said that to one-another. But she sounded so… sincere? She said it like she'd known it for awhile, but she hadn't told me yet, and that she'd been battling with it." Harry said, and he knew it was true.

"Awe" Luna and Ginny said it at the same time, smiling.

"Hopefully she'll see the Light." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"What about the light?" Cho had just entered the room. "I think the light makes my hair looking amazing!" she exclaimed, spinning slightly to make the light in the compartment glitter on her hair. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry, who had to smile to mask the laugh that he was desperate to laugh. Cho smiled brightly, and sat down next to Ginny.

"We were talking about Hermione actually" Luna said, and both Ginny and Harry shot her a look.

"Granger? I was right about her. She didn't even believe you when you said you didn't attack her, so she obviously wasn't worth the trouble. I didn't like her one bit." Cho said, grinning.

"Cho!" Ginny said, clapping her hand over her mouth, while both Harry and Luna looked at her, outraged.

"Harry has someone better suited to him than her, who likes him a lot more than she did." Cho added, nodding reassuringly. Harry ignored her, and looked back out the window.

At King's Cross, Harry, without talking to Cho, had got his trunk and gone to find Sirius. Leaving Ron, Ginny and Luna to fill Cho in on why Harry had left in such a rush, and Harry had located his godfather.

"Hey Harry!" Sirius exclaimed, taking the trunk from his godson and putting it onto a nearby trolley.

"Hi Sirius" Harry said, trying to hide his depressive mood. He could see Hermione talking to her parents on the other side of the platform.

"That's Hermione?" Sirius asked, and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry nodded.

"She's cute." Sirius commented, and Harry punched his shoulder.

"I know." Harry agreed.

"I got your letter." Sirius stated. Harry nodded numbly. He didn't want to think about it.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Sirius asked, and Harry shook his head. Sirius nodded.

"Lets go then" Harry said, and he turned, and walked to the barrier. He shrunk Harry's trunk and put it in his pocket. They hailed a cab to 'Number Thirteen, Grimmauld Place', and listened politely to the cabby's jokes about a woman with pink hair with a ginger haired girl trying to get a cab to the non-existent Number Twelve. They got out at Number Thirteen and paid the cabbie, and Sirius led Harry into the house of Number Twelve and put his trunk back to normal size upstairs.

Sirius put steaming mugs of coffee on the table, one for himself, one for Harry.

"Tell me about Hermione. What's great about her?" Sirius asked, smiling lightly at his godson.

"She's amazing. She's clever and she's extremely ambitious, she wants to be a Healer when she's older, and campaign for better House Elf rights. She cares for people in a way that makes you feel loved. She never lets you copy her homework, but she'll help you with yours. She's so intellectual. She knows all these strange facts you'd never think were interesting, but she tells you them in a way that makes you want to know more. She pretends she doesn't care what people think of her, but I could always tell that deep down she did. She craved acceptance, ever since she was a kid she's been a loner; tormented for her love of books and they labelled her a 'freak' because of that, and her accidental magic. I can relate to her because of that." Harry stopped, upset.

"It'll be okay, cub, I promise"


	7. New Epilogue

**A/N: **Okay, you peoples twisted my arm, heres a better epilogue. (I hope)

Chapter 7: Epilogue, Discontinued Story

Cho eventually admitted to attacking Hermione. It was after Harry, consumed with depression, attempted to commit suicide. Harry lay in the Hospital Wing, Cho sobbing at his side, when she finally whispered, "I attacked Hermione. I wanted you all to myself" She thought Harry was still asleep, but he was pretending. When he eventually opened his eyes, he demanded to see Hermione, who, reluctantly, came to the infirmary to see him. He told her what Cho had said, he begged for forgiveness, and she went to see the Headmaster. She returned to see him, telling him that Professor Dumbledore had known all along that Cho was the attacker, but had wanted Hermione and Harry to figure it out for themselves.

Hermione instantly forgave Harry and tried to get back with him. After talking to Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, Sirius and Mr Weasley, Harry decided that if Hermione had really loved him, then she would have believed him right from the start, and Harry wouldn't have had to convince Hermione that he would never attack her.

Hermione travelled the world, and when she eventually returned to England just before her thirtieth birthday, Harry was at the Burrow for dinner when she arrived there. After talking for hours, trying to figure out how to make things how they used to be.  
They admitted to the fact that they were both totally in love with each other, but decided to take it slowly, and learn to love each other in a way that they had neglected last time.

On Hermione's thirty-second birthday, Harry proposed, she eagerly accepted and they married in an intimate ceremony with their closest friends and family at Godric's Hollow, which Harry had rebuilt after he had finished Hogwarts.

Today was Harry's sixtieth birthday, and he stood, trying to smooth out his messy black hair that was slightly streaked with grey. Each of his three children were attending the party, and as well as the Weasleys, and many others of Harry's friends.

His oldest child, Jessica Lily, had recently turned twenty eight, and was attending the party with her husband, Scorpius Malfoy, and their two children, Nina, who was 9 and Desmond, who was almost 7. Jessica was a healer, and Scorpius was an Auror like his father in law. Jessica had red hair and emerald eyes; she bore a striking resemblance to her grandmother, Lily.

Jessica's six minute younger twin sister, Amanda Harmony, and her husband, Kane Thomas, was coming from France with her only child, Damien Harry, who was eleven and about to start at Beauxbatons. Amanda had become a journalist for Witch Weekly, and Kane was an Unspeakable based in France. Amanda had her mothers chocolate eyes and her father messy black hair.

Harry and Hermione's son, James Sirius, who was twenty-one, last December, was coming with his girlfriend, Vanessa Weasley, Percy and Penelope's youngest daughter. They had a newborn son, Regan Percival. James had worked hard and had become a Chaser for the English Quidditch Team. Vanessa was a healer and trained under Jessica. James' striking emerald eyes and sleek brown hair caught the eyes of many Quidditch fan-girls, and he was a popular pin-up for teenage girls all over England.

Harry was excited. He hadn't seen Amanda, Kane and Damien since Christmas, whereas Jessica, Scorpius, Nina, Desmond, James, Vanessa and Regan came for dinner every Sunday night.

Sirius had never actually met a nice witch like he wanted to. He joked with his godsons children, saying that "Being a convicted murderer must be a bit of a turn off, even if you always were innocent." And it always made the kids laugh.

Cho had never spoken to Harry or Hermione since she admitted to attacking Hermione. Her parents quickly transferred her to Beauxbatons, and she graduated and became a French gossip magazine reporter in the muggle world.

**A/N**: This is the last ever chapter of The Chosen One. This, and Reign of Hogwarts, were my first ever fanfics, and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support, even if you didn't reveiw. And since I've finished it, it doesn't mean I don't want reveiws anymore!

xx

(I'm still attempting to write Writings from the soul of my mother and Nik and Shi Adventures in my small amount of spare time.)


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